On 20 February 2025, the Institute for Sustainable Aviation (ISA) and Airbus took another step forward in their collaboration by signing two funding agreements dedicated to cutting-edge research on aviation sustainability. This initiative, which builds upon the partnership established in February 2024, highlights both organisations’ commitment to accelerating the aviation sector’s ecological transition through scientific innovation.
During the signing ceremony, Bob Lange, Head of Business Analysis and Market Forecast at Airbus, formalised these agreements alongside Marie-Hélène Baroux, General Manager of ISAE-SUPAERO, and Samuel Fosso-Wamba, Head of Research at TBS Education.
The two funded studies focus on key sustainability challenges: improving environmental impact assessment tools and understanding how climate risks influence passenger behaviour and air travel demand.
Led by Thomas Planès, Associate Professor at ISAE-SUPAERO, and conducted by Félix Pollet, a postdoctoral researcher at ISA, this project is funded by Airbus via the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation. Its goal? To refine Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies tailored to the aviation industry, integrating the environmental impact of emerging energy sources such as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and hydrogen.
A key breakthrough in this research involves incorporating non-CO₂ emissions (NOx, particulate matter, contrails) into climate impact assessments. The team will leverage advanced climate models and develop an open-source methodology, enabling broader adoption across the industry.
The second project, led by Sylvain Bourjade and Debrah Meloso, Finance Professors at TBS Education, in collaboration with Elena Asparouhova, Stena Faculty Chair of Finance at the University of Utah, addresses a crucial economic issue: how climate risks and growing environmental awareness shape air travel demand and passenger behaviour.
Funded by Airbus via TBS Education, this study applies experimental economics to analyse evolving consumer preferences based on several key factors:
By combining environmental engineering and economic sciences, these research projects aim to provide industry stakeholders with reliable tools to guide strategic decision-making, public policy, and sustainable business models for the aviation sector.
“Airbus is proud to support these projects, which demonstrate the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in tackling sustainability challenges. By bringing together experts from different fields, we are fostering an energy transition that is both efficient and grounded in scientific evidence,” said Bob Lange.
Through these initiatives, Airbus and ISA reaffirm their leadership in driving the aviation sector towards more environmentally responsible practices. The findings from these studies will contribute to improving climate impact assessments, shaping more sustainable transport policies, and refining market forecasting in response to ecological challenges.
A significant step towards a greener and more resilient aviation industry.